Mee Raqsam is available on ZEE5. The world is still battling the coronavirus pandemic, which means the return to movie halls is still a distant dream. Thankfully, we have various OTT platforms to save the day. Streaming services such as ZEE5, Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar, SonyLIV, Amazon Prime Video, Voot Select among others have been regularly releasing new content.
Recently, the Pakistani show Churails, which is streaming on ZEE5, has been at the receiving end of plaudits. The series has managed to grab many eyeballs for its portrayal of the leading female characters and the performances of the artistes. The show features Sarwat Gilani, Nimra Bucha, Meher Bano and Yasra Rizvi in the lead roles. It has been directed by Asim Abbasi.
The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta praised the actors and the dialogue-writing of the show. “Good performances, sparkly dialogue (I want to die in Dior, says Jugnu; and all the other lines in the delicious Urdu intonations, so familiar to us from those Pakistani serials we have watched so avidly), a well-judged, muted background score (a couple of Hindi movie songs pop up, too) and a strong emotional core in its better parts: the series paints a vivid picture of the place it is set in, and you come away knowing what makes its characters tick,” a section of her review read.
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl also premiered last week on Netflix. The Janvhi Kapoor starrer received mixed reviews. While Janhvi Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi were praised for their performances, the story received negative feedback for the cinematic liberties it took. However, Netflix is not looking too beat up about the whole debacle as it continues to churn out content on a daily basis. For now, the streaming giant is looking forward to the release of the Bobby Deol drama Class of ’83.
Relive your childhood and follow the adventures of ultra-rich Scrooge McDuck, and his three grandnephews Huey, Dewey and Louie in the classic series.
The strangely titled The Banker is Apple TV+’s latest offering. Why do I believe the title is strange? For one, it is not accurate. The lead character played by Anthony Mackie is technically not a banker in the movie. Also, the title makes The Banker appear pretty boring, and this is a film which covers an absolutely fascinating real story and does it in an entertaining fashion. Read More
The second season of Abhay has Kunal Kemmu reprising his role of investigating officer Abhay Pratap Singh. But this time, he is seen dealing with more deadly criminals, played by actors Ram Kapoor, Chunky Panday and Raghav Juyal. Directed by Ken Ghosh, the eight-episode series also stars Nidhi Singh, Bidita Bag, Asha Negi, Indraneil Sengupta and Asheema Vardhan.
The classic Doordarshan TV series based on RK Narayan's charming small-town based stories still holds up well. Relive your childhood (if you watched Malgudi Days as a child, that is) with this series.
Netflix's extremely good-looking period drama, a story of Queen Elizabeth II from her marriage and the circumstances leading up to her coronation until today, is not particularly bingeable. It is not so much its pace as the narrative heft which forces the viewer to pause and reflect after each episode. It actually moves rapidly, chronologically speaking. The show is absolutely gorgeous. It does complete justice to its immoderate budget. The visual beauty is not just skin-deep. The attention to minute details is as exquisite. With the third season, it has only gotten better with the addition of Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter (replacing Claire Foy, Matt Smith and Vanessa Kirby, respectively).
Parasite created history at the Academy Awards 2020 as it became the first international film to win the Best Film prize. The Indian Express' Shalini Langer wrote in her review of Parasite, "Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s latest film is a subtle and subversive depiction of class. The setting is Korean, and Ho brings out that country’s obsession with America, English, North Korea and aspirations succinctly. But in depicting the many layers that divide, and blind, the rich from the poor, the poor from the rich, men from women, and husbands from wives, Parasite is universal. And very, very unsettling." Read More
Bikram Choudhury, better known as the man who introduced the fad called ‘Hot Yoga’ to the West, is the subject of Netflix’s documentary Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator and much like the name, you see these multiple versions of the man through the 86 minute documentary. Read More.
A science fiction drama TV anthology series, Tales from the Loop is a gripping, superbly shot and well-written piece of entertainment that will delight everyone, but specifically those who liked HBO's Westworld and FX's recent series Devs.
Based on a British series of the same name, the show follows a man who finds himself convicted of murder. ‘Did he do it? or Did he not?’ forms the rest of the plot, which is quite engaging. Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vishal Furia directorial Criminal Justice was praised for its stellar cast that includes Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, Jackie Shroff among others.
Read | Criminal Justice review: Night after night
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is about 16-year-old Lara Jean Covey who loves reading romantic novels and inhabiting the space of those love stories. Lara is a scared teenager who is afraid to venture into the real world and live the life that she desires as she fears that people she falls for will end up leaving her one day. So Lara writes them letters instead. Letters to explain to herself the intensity of her crushes. In the span of less than two decades, she pens five letters. Now one fine day, those letters make their way to its addressees and drama ensues in the style of a John Hughes film.
Set in a global pandemic, with a nation in lockdown, the story of The Gone Game revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Sahil Gujral (Arjun Mathur). Did he fall prey to the virus? Or is something more sinister at play? The shot-at-home web series is backed with a power-packed cast including actors Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Mathur, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rukhsar Rehman, Lubna Salim, Indraneil Sengupta, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya.
Based on the 2012 novel, written by John Green, with the same name, The Fault in Our Stars is a love story between two young cancer patients who meet at a Cancer Support Group and develop an instant connection. It stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in the lead roles.
The official synopsis of Class of 83 reads, “A hero policeman, shunted to a punishment posting as the Dean of the police academy, decides to punish the corrupt bureaucracy and its criminal allies in return by training five lethal assassin policemen. But, like all good plans, it only works for a while until the fire that he has ignited threatens to burn down his own house.”
In her review of ZEE5 film Mee Raqsam, The Indian Express' film critic Shubhra Gupta wrote, "It’s tough to make an issue-based film without being pedantic, or prescriptive. More nuance and delicacy in showing up both flaws and merits of the characters and their struggles would have made this important film, whose heart is firmly in the right place, lighter on its feet."
Also read | Mee Raqsam review: An important film
Do not be deceived by The Good Place's setting; it is not your generic comedic sitcom. Spanning four seasons, the Kristen Bell starrer show is at once philosophical and endearing. But perhaps subtle and heartwarming are the two adjectives that would describe it best. The series follows the journey of our heroine who, due to some error, ends up at 'The Good Place' after her death. And what happens after that forms the core of the narrative.
In the fictional town of Great Britain, The Wall, a young man called Tristan hopes to win the heart of his crush Victoria. For this he ventures to offer her a star, and lo and behold, a star falls! Now all that our Tristan has to do is to capture it and bring it to his love. However, for this, he must enter the magical kingdom of Stormhold. And there’s another twist in the story — the star is actually a lovely woman by the name of Yvaine. A forbidden romance ensues against a melodramatic, humourous and slightly dark setting. What we next see on screen is these different elements of art interacting in a highly entertaining fashion.
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If a fun, light-hearted romantic comedy is what you are looking for, then watch this Vicky Kaushal and Angira Dhar film. The movie has been directed by Bandish Bandits' Anand Tiwari and also features a surprising cameo by Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor.
Inspirational dramas. Nothing better than those when dreary life gets you down. Especially if they are half as well done as Creed. The film features Michael B Jordan and Sylvester Stallone in pivotal roles. It has been helmed by Ryan Coogler.
There are so many fairy tales out there, but in only a few of those do the old and the new worlds collide in wondrous, childlike ways. And at the time Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams starrer Enchanted (2007) was made, just a handful of such stories had been successfully told on the big screen. The Disney flick forged a new path for such a narrative. Written by Bill Kelly and directed by Kevin Lima, the fantasy-musical also featured Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey and Susan Sarandon in significant parts.
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Starring Hugh Grant as bookseller Will and Julia Roberts as a popular American actress, Notting Hill was written by Richard Curtis, who had previously weaved his magic with the blockbuster Four Weddings and a Funeral. It’s no surprise then that Notting Hill too went on to achieve the top spot in popular culture, with people quoting lines from the movie till date. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video.